Big Second Half Gives Indiana 73-55 Win Over Butler

Behind a combined 49 points from Marco Killingsworth and Robert Vaden, 18th-ranked Indiana defeated Butler, 73-55, Friday night at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers used a 34-16 point advantage in the paint and 35-17 rebounding margin to take the win. With the victory, IU improves to 7-2 on the year, while the Bulldogs fall to 6-5.

Senior Brandon Polk had 23 points to lead the Bulldogs. He made eight of 16 attempts from the field and added a career-high four steals. Junior Brandon Crone added 11 points for the Bulldogs, who shot 37 percent from the field, including 5-of-26 from three-point range.

The teams went back and forth in the first half. Indiana scored the game's first five points before Crone capped a Butler spurt with a short jumper in the paint and gave Butler its first lead at 12-10. The lead would change five more times before a Vaden three-pointer at the first half horn sent the Hoosiers to the locker room with a 26-24 advantage.

Indiana would not relinquish the lead at any point during the second half, shooting 67 percent in the second frame. The Hoosiers hit 17 of 19 free throw attempts after the break to get to the 18-point final, which was the largest margin of the game. Butler pulled to within three at 49-46 on a Polk lay-up with 7:21 remaining before IU closed the game with a 24-9 run.

Killingsworth led Indiana with 27 points, hitting 9-of-13 from the field and 9-of-10 at the line. Vaden made eight of his attempts, including all four of his three-point attempts. Indiana shot 57 percent from the field.

The Bulldogs return to action following a short holiday break with a trip to South Dakota State. The tip on Wednesday, Dec. 28 is set for 7 p.m. (CST). Butler returns to Hinkle Fieldhouse Monday, Jan. 2 for a 2 p.m. tip against UIC in the Horizon League opener.